The Satyricon by Petronius Arbiter
`The language is refined, the smile not grave, My honest tongue recounts how men behave.' "The Satyricon" is a celebrated work of fiction from the ancient world. It may be described as the first realistic novel, the father of the picaresque genre, and recounts the sleazy progress of a pair of literature scholars as they wander through the cities of the southern Mediterranean. En route they encounter type-figures the author wickedly satirizes - a teacher in higher education, a libidinous priest, a vulgar freedman turned millionaire, a manic poet, a superstitious sea-captain and a femme fatale. This translation by P.G. Walsh, aims to capture the gaiety of the original, and is further enhanced by an introduction giving an account of the plot, the various scholarly interpretations and the later history of its literary influence. There are also extensive notes which serve to illuminate the reading of a text. The book is intended for classical studies and comparative Literature.
Petronius was a satirical writer who probably lived during the reign of the Roman emperor Nero. Little is known about his life, but the historian Tacitus describes a Petronius who was the arbiter elegantiae ( judge of elegance ) in Nero's court, but all biographical information is considered speculative. Frederic Raphael is the author of After the War, Coast to Coast, and The Glittering Prizes. Also a leading screenwriter, his work includes the screenplays for the Academy Awardwinning film Darling, Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut, and Far from the Madding Crowd.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780192833051 |
| ISBN 10 | 0192833057 |
| Title | The Satyricon |
| Author | Petronius Arbiter |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Year published | 1997-12-01 |
| Number of pages | 266 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |